DIGITAL SKILLS: PREPARING EVERY AMERICAN FOR FUTURE INNOVATIONS
Jane Oates
Technology is changing rapidly, and it is only going to accelerate as we move forward. Technology as a vertical—tech businesses—and as a horizontal have seen unprecedented growth in the last decade. Convenience, streaming and cloud computing have made trillion-dollar companies, like Apple and Microsoft, and multi-billion-dollar companies, like Alphabet and Amazon. Many Americans are dependent on technology for hybrid and remote work and performing everyday tasks from food delivery, banking and programming their smart home.
Already too many people are being excluded from the technological revolution. According to the recent report from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) 19 million Americans—6 percent of our population—lack access to fixed broadband service. That 19 million includes 14.5 million people in rural areas; in tribal areas one-third of the community lack access. In a 2018 report, Microsoft found 163 million Americans lack internet access with download speeds of 25 megabytes per second, making things like online learning or remote work extremely difficult.
The inequities are more than residential. In July 2019, PEW reported that 40 percent of schools and 60 percent of healthcare facilities outside metropolitan areas lacked broadband. Those staggering statistics mean an immediate negative impact on learning, career navigation and healthcare options.
Broadband access is the foundation of accessing technology. Pew further reported that 44 percent of families earning less than $30,000 don’t have internet in their homes.
While we are recognizing the gross inequities by zip code and socio-economic status, we are evolving into an innovation economy that is tech based. Digital skills are the new currency in the workplace and those without the ability to become technologically skilled and even certified in high school or college are going to find challenges in the workforce when competing for quality jobs. And for the millions of students and adults who are trying to upskill themselves using a library or a commercial outlet for internet access, such as at a coffee bar or restaurant (assuming they have their own hardware), this too often translates into feeling that you don’t belong in this digital world.
We desperately need tech talent, so it is a national imperative to reinvent how we think about preparing a nation of digital learners and workers.
We need to commit to universal broadband access and operationalize a plan for 1-to- 3-year adoptions. Part of that plan must be to equip, at the very least, every secondary school in the country with computer instruction, machine-assisted learning and labs where students can use computers independently for school related projects. Every post-secondary institution should embed digital skills across the colleges and majors and make personal computers part of the cost of college so that students apply their skills toward their education. We cannot get where we need to be in terms of a skilled workforce relying only on engineering and computer science majors. Every student needs to leave high school digitally literate and post-secondary education needs to build on that foundation with more advanced industry-recognized skills.
DEFINING BASIC DIGITAL SKILLS
More employers are talking today about digital literacy so a logical first step would be to be transparent on the digital skills that are required for both education and the workforce. So what is meant by digital literacy? Looking at some of the basics will be informative:
Working with basic software programs is assumed. Ten years ago, people would put certifications in software like Microsoft Office on their resume. Today that would be like putting you know the alphabet on your resume. Being able to create and edit a document are an assumed workplace standard, along with file sharing and document mapping in most offices.
Now, remote meetings require everyone understanding how to participate in, and schedule, online meetings. The set-up and logging on seem obvious, but participation requires familiarity with the workings of the digital platforms —chat, user profiles, screen sharing—so that you can properly engage if you were physically together in a meeting space. Today most employers not only assume that you can use any of the platforms, but they can have little patience for technical issues (“why isn’t your camera on”, “did someone not mute”, or bad lighting at home).
All employers expect prospective employees to be able to communicate online.
Email is the norm but writing a readable message, attaching documents, creating group lists, and even setting up meetings are all expected. Many companies assume that you are familiar with Slack, Salesforce, Microsoft Office and expense reporting software and while they may offer short refresher courses on their style and rules, they don’t build in enough time for a first-time learner to become proficient.
Electronic spreadsheets are common across sectors with the expectation that an employee can create, input, sort, and analyze data while sharing work in real time with co-workers.
Finding information online quickly is becoming a business imperative. Getting an exact answer in real time is now expected. Navigating search engines, scanning material to ensure accuracy, clearly identify sources and quickly validating information is routinely expected in meetings.
Online privacy and security are big business right now, but all employees are expected to understand what information is safe for routine communications and what needs to be encrypted. Employees are expected to know what is appropriate and what isn’t. They must also identify phishing and attempts by outside parties to gain access to their data or systems.
For formal K-12 education and even post-secondary education, embedding basic digital skills instruction and practice into existing curricula is beginning to happen. More attention needs to be paid to assessing and refining digital skills. How do instructors help students move from rudimentary understanding and use of technology to agile, creative users who can enhance their work performance through technology.
EDUCATION CHANGES
To accomplish what has been discussed above we need to reform teacher preparation. Colleges that are engaged in pre-service education must teach with technology, instilling in prospective teachers the advantages of technology-assisted instruction and the skills to manage a classroom welcoming devices, access, and innovation. Technology can help individualize instruction for remediation or acceleration, can provide real world problems and applications and can bring the working world into the classroom. Teachers who enter the classroom armed with skills to harness the potential of technology-assisted education are going to help students master grade-or-course-level content and become digitally literate.
While pre-service innovation prepares the next generation of educators, what about the incumbent teaching force and the supervisors and principals who set the expectations for satisfactory teaching and learning. School districts need the help of partners in higher education and business to do in-service for teachers on both basic software instruction and applications in college classrooms and the workplace. They need time during the school day to familiarize themselves with the software and to become proficient. Districts can also incentivize teachers to earn digital and industry credentials on their own time. Simple policies that allow certified teachers to earn extra curricular pay for classes in data analytics, visualization, digital project management or coding could certainly attract teacher interest. Anyone who has taught understands that all teachers fear not being able to answer student questions and while technology will be an asset in the long run, it is a challenge being a beginner in the front of a classroom where many of your students could be more familiar with software programs than you. Districts need to build teachers’ digital confidence.
WHAT ABOUT ADULT JOB SEEKERS
Post-COVID there has been national attention to employers offering education as a benefit. While tuition reimbursement programs have been in human resources offices for decades, the reality is that there has been very low take up rates in most companies. The talent shortages across all sectors have caused a look at what would have to happen to encourage employees to take advantage of learning opportunities. Businesses wanted to make this an attractive benefit for recruiting new talent, but now there was growing interest in retaining their talent and enabling them through education to qualify for in-demand positions within the company. Businesses started working with third parties like Guild Education that would work one-on-one with employees to explore degree and certification options. Companies paid up front for tuition, abandoning the burdensome task for their employees of paying and then filing the paperwork to be reimbursed.That upfront payment made education appealing for those at the lower end of the pay scale and for anyone who had monthly budgets that didn’t leave much room on their credit card for tuition, even if they would be reimbursed within six months.
But what about job seekers, the unemployed, or the career changers who may be looking for a career that offers more flexibility or more economic mobility? Social and traditional media are flooded with ads from every kind of education provider—non-profits, for-profits, classroom-based instruction, boot camps—and it is increasingly difficult for even savvy adults to decide the right fit for them.
“Learn and Earn” models have been considered a safe path for both workers and employers seeking to reskill and improve their digital literacy. “Registered Apprenticeships” were born in the skilled trades like plumbing, carpentry, labor, and manufacturing. In this time-tested model, you begin day one as an employee with all the benefits and responsibilities associated with working for a company; you earn a higher salary and a better job title as you grow and progress. Today apprenticeships are available in a variety of tech careers with tech companies and with other sectors who need customized tech talent.
A new model (“Hire and Train”) is transforming the staffing agency space. Agencies screen and hire talent; train them in specific, in-demand skills, and then place them with clients. The individuals are paid while being trained, get a bump in pay when they are placed,
and usually sign a contract for 12 to 24 months. The transparency about outcomes varies greatly from staffing agency to agency but the efforts have been successful in getting non- tech majors the skills they need for open jobs. The individual gets the training, and often certifications, to qualify for a job and more importantly they get the work experience. New college grads with numerous skills and competency are often turned away because they have little-to-no experience. The “hire and train” models are relatively young so it is difficult to say that this is equal to the apprentice model, but clearly it is allowing many people to transition to tech work, test out an employer or two and decide where they would like to go after the staffing agency. Interested individuals should ask about not only the length of the contract but also the possible penalties if they decide to leave early.
Paid internships also offer insight into the digital world of the workplace and valuable experience on your resume. COVID limited in-person internships for many and pivoted into virtual internships. The information on the effectiveness of that transition is limited but it certainly opens potential opportunities for those who don’t have openings where they live and can’t afford the travel and housing costs to take advantage of programs at a distance.
While work-based learning is an ideal choice, combining what you need to learn for the job with actual pay, there are not going to be enough slots to meet the demand. Most adults, particularly older adults are going to have to find ways to acquire digital skills on their own. The public workforce system—the American Job Centers and the Workforce Investment Boards—provides a national federally funded system with an outlet in every community. At the Centers everyone can attain the information on their local labor market. Knowing what jobs are open and talking to the Job Center counselors about the skills and credentials necessary for those jobs and local education and training providers could give individuals the information that they need to plot their path. While the Centers keep normal business hours, they have a network of nonprofit partners who are available beyond those hours like Goodwill, the National Urban League, Unidos and many more. The nonprofit, non- governmental network may offer more culturally competent, more welcoming environments and can also provide the wrap-around services like transportation and childcare that a job seeker might need.
The biggest challenge we face is convincing “digital dinosaurs” that they can succeed in the digital world of work. The labor force participation rate in August 2022 was 62.4%--a full percentage point below February 2020. (BLS, September 2, 2022) That measure tracks prime age adults (25-54) that are either working or actively looking for employment. While this data does not capture young or older workers, we can assume that digital and technological fear is more prevalent with older workers. When someone is unemployed, at least for the 26 weeks following their separation, the state and local employment offices are engaging with them. For the millions of workers who are discouraged workers or have disengaged with the system, there is no outreach, and again one can assume they have little access to reliable labor market information.
THE CHALLENGE IS GREAT; THE SOLUTIONS ARE MANY
Digital skills must be added to reading, writing and mathematics as a basic skill. To fully engage in life and work in the 21st Century you must be digitally literate. The United States has made tremendous progress in access to broadband, but while some areas are welcoming cable and DSL the rest of the nation is talking about 5G connectivity with a prediction that we will be using 6G by 2030. Once the capacity is there for communities, we must make sure in-home internet is affordable. The FCC’s Affordable Connect Program offers monthly internet discounts of up to $30, plus small discounts for hardware to families with incomes at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. These are important programs that should be permanent. This is not an issue about giving people access to the internet for entertainment. It’s about enabling families to fully participate in education and apply for jobs.
It is impossible to teach people to be agile and creative users of technology in a 45-minute class, twice a week. Having the opportunity to use a computer without worrying about your speed or competence helps you build confidence as you improve your skills. In the 20th Century government leaders aspired to close the digital divide for social good–a sense of fairness. They implemented computer-in-school programs and equipped libraries and community centers with computer labs. Those programs were often funded through competitive grants, often excluding areas with the greatest need because they didn’t have the talent or the vocabulary to create a winning application.
Today, while many think about the inequities that continue, we do have a greater driving force. The United States cannot sustain a world-class workforce unless we address the low level of digital literacy across age groups in our society. Continued advances in AI, Cloud, and Analytics will have immediate impact on job requirements, and basically how and where we work. To remain a leader in the global economy we need a multi-generational workforce that can keep up with the continuous advancement of our economy. We are indeed a knowledge economy but everything in that knowledge economy is moving digitally, and we need to make sure that every American is prepared for those future innovations.
Jane Oates is President of Working Nation raising awareness about the challenges facing the American workforce. A former U.S. Department of Labor official, Jane served as Assistant Secretary for the Employment and Training Administration under Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis after being nominated for the position by President Barack Obama in 2009. Prior to her appointment, Jane was Executive Director of the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education and a senior advisor to Governor Jon S. Corzine. She served for nearly a decade as senior policy advisor for Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts.
Jane began her career as a teacher in the Boston and Philadelphia public schools and later as a field researcher at Temple University’s Center for Research in Human Development and Education. She received her B.A. in education from Boston College and her M.Ed. in Reading from Arcadia University.
